She laughed her tinkling laugh again which stopped my heart from racing along. "I wouldn't have told you anything if I didn't think you could be trusted. Fesser said that you were very discrete and could be counted on to keep your mouth shut." Geez, I didn't know that the big mound of fat covered muscles thought so highly of me. I must have visibly relaxed because she laughed again. I laughed too and realised that I didn't even know her name. When I asked it she smiled and said, "Call me Crystal." "So, Crystal not that I haven't enjoyed our...exchange of ideas but..." She laughed again and flopped down beside me on the bed. She really did look good from every angle. I continued, "But what are you doing here?"
She smiled again. "I'm here because there are two situations here that are of grave interest to the Empire." She held up one perfectly manicured finger. "First, we have two dead followers of Yemalio from a temple technically within the Empire, albeit a somewhat restless border area. It is not in the Empire's best interests to allow residents of the Empire to be brutally murdered. Especially not diplomats. No matter what their personal short comings. Fortunately they weren't Imperial citizens or we'd be seeing a sudden outbreak of crucifixions. It may still come to that." It chilled me to hear such offhanded brutality from such a pretty source. Just a reminder of how formidable agents of the Emperor can be. "Closer relations between the Sartar Sun Dome and the ones here are definitely in the Empire's best interest. However it is very suspicious that a degenerate like Cressidus would have been sent as a representative. Was this a serious attempt at closer ties or not? If not who's playing silly buggers? I may have to look into that myself."
I interrupted, "What's the second situation?" She smiled a grim smile, "The hazia trade. The Emperor wishes the trade between here and the Empire in that drug to be stopped." She rolled her eyes, "Unfortunately the Emperor is often of two minds about a subject. He's also sold the rights to deal in hazia to a Dara Happan association, the Willowgreen association out of Raibanth. Not officially of course, nothing so obvious but He has agreed that they can benefit from the trade and transport the drug into the Empire. Sometimes money speaks louder than misery. Especially in this case when the money speaks so loudly."
"So Cressidus was the connection in Sartar for the drug?" I said, "The drug left here, traveled to the Sartar Sun Dome and then from there into the Empire." She nodded, "Part of the shipments anyway. Despite official disapproval and harsh punishments the financial rewards for growing the drugs are too strong a temptation for the farmers of Sun and Garhound Counties. Of course the farmers in Garhound County couldn't care less what misery the drug brings to the Empire. What the Emperor would like done, in an unofficial manner if possible, is if the trade was stopped here. Of course He can always claim any official action here was without his knowledge or approval so that would be okay too. That'd get Him off the hook with the Willowgreen Association." She shook her head, "Unfortunately this Cressidus was apparently trying to get the local middlemen out of the picture. Seems unlikely he could do such a thing considering the respective resources but safe to underestimate how stupid some men can be. Present company excepted." she said with an offhand wave of her hand. Geez, how flattering.
To be continued.
A Good End in Badside
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